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Gfk-CharTrack has announced that the launch of Halo: Reach has helped to double the UK sales of the Xbox 360 last week. Reach sold an estimated 300,000 units in the first 24 hours in the UK and the limited-edition Halo-themed Xbox 360 bundle pushed the system up 99% over the prior week according to the report.

“At midnight, over 400 GAME and Gamestation stores opened across the UK to allow our customers to get their hands on the new Xbox 360… There has been amazing demand for the new version of this ever-popular console which includes a new slim design. There was a fantastic atmosphere in our stores as hundreds of people queued to be one of the first to play on the new console.” – GAME’s head of PR Neil Ashurs

We don’t tend to get regular hardware sales out of the UK so don’t expect to see any specific numbers unless Microsoft happens to mention it at some point.

Total UK sales (hardware, software and accessories) stand at £963m, down £180m (16%) from this time last year

Software sales generated £533m down 10% from last year

Hardware sales were down £256m, down 32% from last year

Unit sales increased for Wii, Xbox 360, PS3

“UK consumers are still facing economic uncertainty and everyone is looking to how they can make savings, which has naturally impacted on the entertainment industry as a whole.”

“However I am very encouraged by the innovative E3 announcements. With the introduction of Kinect for Xbox 360 and PlayStation Move in addition to significant plans for 3D gaming on Nintendo 3DS and PS3, the market is sure to start buzzing.”

“UK consumers are also getting their gaming entertainment in a variety ways. They are increasingly downloading video games from websites, and are playing games on their mobiles or through social networking sites – not only on consoles. This is proof that interactive entertainment is expanding way beyond its traditional boundaries.” – ELSA director general Mike Rawlinson

“Since the adjustment in trade price [drop to £129.99] has been passed on to consumers, each of the previous three weeks have seen DSi sales increase by over 40 per cent week-on-week,” said Nintendo’s head of communications Rob Saunders.

“All hardware formats were in decline last year on a unit basis except the single figures growth from the PS3. Q1 this year is no different in the UK except every console and handheld device has sold less this year in volume terms than the same period last year and the trend has worsened since the end of last year.” – Nick Parker, founding partner of Parker Consulting Ltd

I would suspect that this is nothing more than the current generation of consoles going into the decline phase of their product life cycle. The PS3 is finally starting to hit a price point where people can afford it so that is why it has seen a small bump. Full report at the link.

“We are delighted to have passed the 3m milestone with PS3… With the incredibly strong line up that we have going forward – Heavy Rain, White Knight Chronicles and God of War III in the first quarter alone, then Gran Turismo 5, Modnation Racers, Motion control, and a few surprises for the new fiscal year, this is a great way to start the New Year.” – SCE UK spokesperson

London, UK, 6th January, 2010 – Last year, 2009, shaped up to be the second-strongest year on record for the UK videogames industry according to ELSPA (the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association) which today revealed annual sales figures from GFK Chart-Track. Total sales of all videogames software amounted to £1.621 billion, with growth in both the Xbox 360® and PlayStation® 3 formats. The total revenue for console hardware sales amounted to £1.06 billion, a decrease on 2008 mainly due to lowering average retail prices1.

Mike Rawlinson, Director General of ELSPA, said: “We cannot forget that 2009 saw the UK economy in the grip of one of the most severe recessions of recent times, which has naturally impacted on the entertainment industry. It is not surprising that the UK videogames industry has weathered the economic storm so well as games represent great value for money.

5 January 2010 – As we start a new decade, Nintendo announces that there are now over 40 million* Nintendo DS and 20 million* Wii consoles being played across Europe. In fact, the Nintendo DS family, including Nintendo DS Lite and the latest addition, Nintendo DSi, has not only sold more than any other videogame console in Europe but it has also seen the fastest growth in European video game console history, reaching this sales figure in less than 5 years**.

Wii continues its momentum, becoming the fastest selling home console in Europe by reaching the 20 million milestone in just over three years**.

The Telegraph.co.uk is reporting that video game spending last year was higher than the money spent on films in the UK.

According to data from Chart-Track and the UK Film Council total video game spending for the UK hit £1.73 billion for the 12 months ended September 2009. For the same period spending on films amounted to £1 billion and if you count in DVD and Blu-ray revenue the total comes to £1.198 billion.

“Like anything digital, Parliament has a very narrow view of video games. Too many politicians think video games are played by teenage boys staying up all night shooting things in their bedroom. And yes there are plenty of those, but there also a huge range of people of many different ages who love playing games. The industry has matured over the last decade, and so too have gamers.” – Tom Watson, former cabinet minister and current gamer